The present invention relates generally to protective housing for air-conditioning units and heat pumps, and in particular to a protective unit capable of protecting exposed, including rooftop, air-conditioning units from hail and other inclement weather damage while being easy to assemble and disassemble.
Outdoor air-conditioning units typically include a compressor, a condenser, a grill, various piping and valves, and a fan all contained within a metal housing. The purpose of an air-conditioning unit is to transfer the heat from a building or structure to refrigerant in the air-condition system piping, and then transmit this heat to the ambient environment outside of the building or structure.
In commercial applications, the units are commonly located on the rooftop of a building. As a result, the air-conditioning unit may be exposed to direct sunlight as well as hail and other inclement weather conditions. Hail poses a particular hazard to air-conditioning units because hail striking the grill of a unit can deform the thin metallic fins that compose the grill. This results in lowered air-conditioning efficiency of the unit. To correct a grill damaged by hail, a repairman will frequently attempt to straighten the fins that were bent or otherwise deformed by the hail.
Rooftop exposure to sunlight can also increase the temperature of an air-conditioning unit and its internal components. This can reduce the heat-transfer rate from the air-conditioning unit, and significantly impact the air-conditioning unit's efficiency. Exposure to sunlight can also lead to increased head pressures within the unit potentially resulting in the unit shutting it down or failing.
Periodically, air-conditioning units must be serviced. This often requires access to the grills of the unit and the upper surface of the unit, typically where the compressor fan discharges hot air.
Protective hoods for room-type air-conditioning units are known in the art. U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,705,990; 2,892,242; 2,901,989; and 2,941,380 are examples of apparatus and systems for protecting air-conditioning units installed in windows. However, none of the inventions of these patents provide an apparatus that can collectively guard rooftop air-conditioning units against hail, provide protection from sunlight, and can be quickly and easily assembled and disassembled. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,705,990 discloses a “ventilated tarpaulin” that fits snugly over the exposed areas of a window-sill installed air conditioner. This apparatus is insufficient to guard against hail because it does not provide a rigid barrier around the grills of the air conditioning unit to deflect hail.
Solar shades or sun shrouds known in the art, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,768,350 and 6,595,017 and U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 10/393,619 (U.S. 2003/0177703 A1) and 10/064,090 (U.S. 2003/0226369 A1), also do not address these needs because the solar shades are either not constructed of sufficiently sturdy material, are not sufficiently securely attached to the air-conditioning units to withstand hail, or are not easily assembled and dissembled.
A need exists, therefore, for apparatus capable of guarding exposed air-conditioning units from hail and other inclement weather conditions that is capable of being quickly and easily assembled and disassembled to facilitate servicing of the units. A need also exists for apparatus that can provide solar shade to rooftop air-conditioning units that also can resist hail strike and other inclement weather conditions.
All references cited herein are incorporated by reference to the maximum extent allowable by law. To the extent a reference may not be fully incorporated herein, it is incorporated by reference for background purposes and indicative of the knowledge of one of ordinary skill in the art.